3 minute read

After discarding the notion of a Queensland winter campaign, Cambridge trainer Tarissa Mitchell was content to see stable star Call Me Royal spend a few weeks in a lush paddock as reward for a solid summer season.

That idea went out the window fairly quickly as the four-year-old Civics entire began tearing around his paddock barely a week into the planned winter hiatus.

“Once we couldn’t see much on offer for him in Queensland we decided to give him a break and then bring him back for the spring,” explained Mitchell.

“He’d only been out just over a week and he was bucking and tearing around like a mad thing so I thought it was safer to have him back in the stable in case he hurt himself.”

That meant Mitchell had to quickly look for an appropriate target and she found that in rating 85 company at Te Rapa on the weekend. Despite not having raced since finishing a gallant second against the open handicappers at Riccarton in early May, Call Me Royal was sent out a warm favourite and didn’t let his backers down as he ground out a narrow but impressive victory in the 2100 metre contest.

“I was pretty confident he could win as he was in good shape despite not having raced for over a month,” said Mitchell.

“My only worry was the track as he doesn’t really like it too wet despite winning his maiden on a heavy surface. I scratched my other runner Irish Call as he does need a good track so I was pleased that we could get away with this one.”

Mitchell will now pick and choose her options over the coming months as she eyes up some of the late spring features for her charge.

“I think he has the class to win one of those nice spring Cup races so that’s what we will plan for. We will just tick him over through the winter as we look for wherever we can get a semi decent track. I know the Kiwifruit Cup at Tauranga is coming up but that would only be an option if the track wasn’t too deep.

“I would love to think he could get back to Riccarton during New Zealand Cup Week as he just thrived down there last time.

“I also haven’t given up on taking him to Australia but that won’t be until next year.”